Printing apparatus

Claim 1

Apparatus for printing a web of paper, comprising means including a shaft for supporting a supply roll of the paper web, adjustable brake means connected to said shaft, a plurality of offset printing press units positioned in aligned spaced relation, each said printing press unit including an impression cylinder and a blanket cylinder positioned in nip relation, a plate cylinder positioned in nip relation with each said blanket cylinder, guide roll means for directly the web from said supply roll successively between said impression and blanket cylinders of each said printing unit, said impression cylinder of the first said printing unit receiving the web, having a diameter substantially larger than the diameter of the adjacent said blanket cylinder and also substantially larger than the diameter of said impression cylinder of each successive said press unit, said guide roll means effecting substantial wrap of the web around said impression cylinder of the first said printing unit, said impression cylinder of the first said printing unit further including a roughened high friction outer surface, means for sensing the tension of the web between said supply roll and said impression cylinder of the first said printing unit, means responsive to said sensing means for controlling said brake means to produce a substantially constant tension within the web fed to said impression cylinder of the first said printing unit, and means for driving said impression, blanket and plate cylinders of each said printing unit at a predetermined speed to effect precise metering of the web from the supply roll through said printing units in addition to printing of the web.